A I A: Alien Observer
| A I A: Alien Observer | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 11, 2011 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 39:07 | |||
| Label | Yellow Electric | |||
| Producer | Liz Harris | |||
| Grouper chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A I A: Alien Observer | ||||
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A I A: Alien Observer is the seventh studio album by American musician Liz Harris under the stage name Grouper. It was released on April 11, 2011, by Yellow Electric, as the second album of her two-part album series A I A, with the first being A I A: Dream Loss.
The album was recorded in a span of four years while Harris maintained a full-time job. Harris began recording A I A: Alien Observer soon after finishing work on A I A: Dream Loss. The album received positive reviews from critics. The title track "Alien Observer" was issued on March 29, prior to the album's release.
Background and recording
[edit]Following the release of her breakthrough album, Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill (2008), Harris maintained a "demanding" job and had almost no spare time for recording material as a result.[1] A while later, she quit her job and had gone through a breakup, even moving to a "shitty" apartment in where she spent months recording songs and listening to pre-recorded material in her basement.[1] That certain time period would lead to the recording of A I A: Alien Observer, done over a few years.[2] This recording process was different from that of her previous studio albums, which were usually done in a matter of weeks.[3]
In January 2011, Harris announced that she would be independently releasing two studio albums in April of the same year.[2] Collectively, the two albums are pre-titled A I A, with the first album being titled Dream Loss and the other titled Alien Observer, with the latter being recorded after the former.[2] By creating these albums, she again became familiar with what she wanted to explore in music, including "unseen movements and connections between people and spaces".[2]
Release
[edit]A I A: Alien Observer was independently released through Harris' label Yellow Electric on April 11, 2011, on vinyl and for digital download.[4] It is the second part of her A I A album series, with the first being A I A: Dream Loss, which was also released on the same day.[5] Before the album's release, the title track "Alien Observer" was issued for streaming on March 29.[4] An official video for the track, which was directed by Hamish Parkinson, was released on April 18.[6] In November 2019, the album was reissued on vinyl by Kranky, with its packaging featuring photography by Sarah Meadows and tracklist inserts.[7]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8][a] |
| Beats Per Minute | 81%[9][a] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[10] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |   [11][a] |
A I A: Alien Observer received positive reviews from music critics. Mark Richardson of Pitchfork considered it "more accessible" than its companion album A I A: Dream Loss, but also likened the overall sound of both albums to Harris' earlier albums, such as Cover the Windows and the Walls (2008).[10] Josh Becker of Beats Per Minute complimented Harris' desire to experiment with "her signature hazy sound" throughout the album, which makes it and its companion album "such a revelation".[9]
Reviewing A I A: Alien Observer for its tenth anniversary, Irina Shtreis of Louder Than War praised it as a thoughtful release and "an attempt to look at one's own feelings from a distance".[12] Daniel Bromfield of Spectrum Culture called it "airy and melodic", and felt that the album should be listened to after A I A: Dream Loss as a series.[5] Matthew Horne of Tiny Mix Tapes also suggested this listening method, additionally naming both albums Harris' best projects to date.[11] Heather Phares of AllMusic called it a "completely entrancing" experience, praising Harris' instrumentation shifts throughout.[8]
A I A: Alien Observer received an honorable mention on Pitchfork's list of the best albums of 2011.[13] In 2016, Pitchfork ranked Alien Observer at number 21 on its list of the 50 best ambient albums of all time, with staff writer Kevin Lozano stating that "Alien Observer feels material and visceral, but it retains her sense of mystery and emotional resonance."[14] In 2021, Jeff Terich of Treble listed it as an accessible album for first-time listeners of Harris' catalog, calling it a "deeply beautiful and strange album that echoes what its title suggests: extraterrestrial wonder."[15]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Liz Harris.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moon Is Sharp" | 6:49 |
| 2. | "Alien Observer" | 3:57 |
| 3. | "Vapor Trails" | 9:05 |
| 4. | "She Loves Me That Way" | 8:34 |
| 5. | "(second heart tone)" | 1:22 |
| 6. | "Mary, On the Wall (for Bette Jackson)" | 4:45 |
| 7. | "Come Softly (for Daniel Dalzell)" | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 39:07 | |
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Myers, Owen (January 30, 2013). "Grouper". Dazed. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Dombal, Ryan (January 20, 2011). "Grouper Preps Two New Albums". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Gibb, Rory (April 4, 2012). "Through The Looking Glass: An Interview With Grouper". The Quietus. Archived from the original on July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- 1 2 Fitzmaurice, Larry (March 29, 2011). "'Alien Observer'". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- 1 2 Bromfield, Daniel (November 21, 2019). "Grouper: A I A". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ Bravo, Amber (April 18, 2011). "Video: Grouper, 'Alien Observer'". The Fader. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ Otis, Erik (November 4, 2019). "Grouper's 'A I A: Dream Loss' and 'A I A: Alien Observer' Reissued on Vinyl". XLR8R. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Grouper – A I A". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
- 1 2 Becker, Josh (April 19, 2011). "Album Review: Grouper – A I A: Alien Observer / Dream Loss". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
- 1 2 Richardson, Mark (April 18, 2011). "Grouper: A I A : Alien Observer / A I A : Dream Loss". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 21, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- 1 2 Horne, Matthew. "Grouper - A I A". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved August 8, 2026.
- ↑ Shtreis, Irina (April 3, 2011). "Album Reappraisals: Grouper – A I A: Dream Loss and Alien Observer". Louder Than War. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention". Pitchfork. December 14, 2011. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ↑ "The 50 Best Ambient Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. September 26, 2016. p. 3. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
- ↑ Terich, Jeff (September 10, 2021). "A Beginner's Guide to the ambient pop of Grouper". Treble. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
External links
[edit]- A I A: Alien Observer at Discogs (list of releases)
